Sabor de soledad, runny fritatta edition.

Spring Onion Frittata on Toast

Do you have those recipes where you have them flagged for seemingly ever but never bother to make them? On my list of those was a spring onion frittata from Franny’s meant to serve over toast. The primary reason why I held off on this, I think, was poor timing–whenever I would happen to flip through the book looking for meal ideas spring onions would never be in season, and while the recipe claims you can use scallions in their place, it didn’t feel like the same sort of recipe at all. Fortunately, Michael made a stop at the Teet on his way home from the airport two weeks ago to get some groceries for dinner that night, and was very excited to show me that spring onions were finally back in season. Finally remembering this recipe at the appropriate time, I bought another bunch the following weekend because by hell or high water, I was making this dish, goddamnit. I even made a special trip to Dawson’s by my office the day I planned to make it to get some good bread and actually make toast to serve with this.

Everything was going to plan: the onions got a nice golden color to them, the eggs were a particularly vibrant orange-yellow, and I even double-checked that my 7-inch All-Clad nonstick pan would be oven-safe. I was ready, I was prepared, and I even had my salad fixings all ready to go.

And then I undercooked the frittata. Whoops. I went for the 18 minutes proscribed and everything looked OK, but the middle wasn’t quite as set as it should be (at least to be allowed to be cut up into strips and tossed with some herbs and lemon juice). The outer edges were OK, though, so I said the hell with it and carefully layered some pieces on the toast and simply placed some of the herb and lemon juice mixture on top. For a dinner for one for someone who enjoys a runny egg, it was actually pretty darn perfect; that said, I’m eager to try it again to see if I can actually nail the egg cookery timing a little better on my next go-around. If I do and manage to produce a frittata that can stand being cut into pieces and tossed with some extra goodness I will update this post accordingly, but to be honest the season is too short to wait on perfection to give this one a try.

1 small baguette, halved lengthwise and crosswise into four small pieces

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Take the whole trimmed spring onions, and cut lengthwise in half or quarters if they are large, and in a medium ovenproof skillet (I used a cast iron skillet, but any oven-safe skillet will do) heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, cut side down, and add a healthy pinch of salt and sear for 10 seconds. Carefully place the skillet into the oven, and cook them, using tongs to stir them halfway, for about 10 minutes until golden and tender. Remove the onions and then lower the oven to 200 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, another healthy pinch of salt, and some extra freshly ground pepper. In a small, 8 or 7-inch nonstick skillet (I use a French omelette pan that’s oven-safe to 500 degrees), add about a tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onions to the skillet and cook for a minute before adding the eggs to the pan, making sure that they are covering the onions evenly (giving the pan a quick shake helps in this). Move the skillet into the oven and cook until the eggs are just set, 18 to 20 minutes. (I did 18 minutes and it was a bit underdone, so start checking then and let it go for a couple of minutes). The top center should be a little undercooked, but only about the area of a quarter; when this is achieved, take it out and let the frittata cool in the pan before sliding it onto a plate.

When ready to serve, mix together the lemon juice, tablespoon of olive oil, parsley, slivered green onion, mint, chile flakes, and additional salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Drizzle more olive oil over the bread slices and toast in the broiler until golden brown, and then cut the frittata into pieces and place on the toast, topping with the herb and juice mixture. Serve immediately.